Before the Fall
by Crisis Rose
Summary: She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, bracing herself for pain... for death... a death that wasn't to come.


_She could feel herself falling, faster and faster, the ground coming ever closer as she plummeted towards a watery grave. A scream echoed around her head; but whether or not it belonged to her remained a mystery. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, bracing herself for pain… for death._

* * *

She shot upright so suddenly that it made her head spin, a small breathless cry upon her lips. For a second she sat still, her breathing elevated, before glancing round frantically, each turn of her head electing a soft sob from her. A moment passed, before a gentle hand rested itself upon her shoulder, and another took her hand, holding it gently, providing her with the comfort and reassurance that she knew only one person was capable of.

"It's alright Ariel, it was just a dream."

The young Princess turned her head slightly, her eyes meeting with those of the man who she'd only moments ago decided to throw her life away in order to be with. Her eyes were wide and frightened, as if she had no idea of the world around her, and had to take a moment to establish her whereabouts. She was sat upon a sofa; no, _Eric_ was sat upon a sofa, and she upon him. He sat upon it lengthways, slouching so that she may lie against him comfortably, held close to him. Before them was a fireplace, orange flames dancing across the wooden logs that fed them, illuminating the room in a soft glow that made one feel sleepy, though it was evident that she'd been the only one to sleep.

The door to their left was closed, the curtains to their right drawn shut. They were in the palace, they were home, but exactly how they had gotten there was far beyond her knowledge at this point.

She turned her attention back to Eric, and reached out hesitantly, bringing her hand to his cheek, as if to assure herself that he was real; only to then proceed to collapse against him. She buried her face against his shoulder and cried, though in this instant she wasn't entirely sure what for. Her hands tightened around the pale grey fabric of his nightshirt, holding onto him as she desperately sought comfort in his arms. She opened her eyes blearily, turning her head to the side so that she was once again rested against him; only then did she notice the way his right arm twitched every few seconds, as if he wanted to pull away but couldn't bring himself to do so. As her eyes adjusted, she was able to make out the bandages that bound Eric's hand and forearm, the very hand which she so tightly held.

The Princess relaxed her grip suddenly, pulling her hand away and stared up at Eric with tears in her eyes.

"Eric I'm so sorry, I didn't realise" she gasped.

Eric just shook his head softly, insisting that it was alright, but there was no mistaking the look in his eyes, the amount of pain he was in. His eyes were red, as though he'd spend hours crying, his face marred by an exhaustion she'd seen in him only once before, perhaps even more so than then. His ebony hair was damp and dishevelled, and fell down in front of his eyes as he moved his head. Ariel reached up, brushing his hair back before moving her hand to rest upon his cheek.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her eyes full of love and concern.

Eric leant in to her gentle touches and nodded, not trusting his voice, as the evenings events played over in his head. His eyes met hers, a small smile gracing his lips as he tried to back up his answer, but the look on her face remained sceptical.

He sighed, blinking back tears, the sting of smoke that still assaulted his pupils being only half the reason for doing so. "I almost lost you tonight," he explained, "Ariel I don't know what I would've done if you…" He trailed off, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath as he tried to compose himself.

A soft kiss pressed against his cheek was all he needed to know that he wasn't expected to finish that sentence. He looked down upon his wife, the tears in her eyes mirroring his own. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as he rested his cheek against the top of her head.

Ariel cuddled up against him, only now beginning to realise that her dream hadn't been just that, not entirely at least. The most confusing thing was, she didn't recall the reality, only what she had seen in her dream-turn-nightmare; something which she was grateful for, because losing Eric was the worst thing that could happen, whether in dream _or_ reality.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice coming to nothing more than a hoarse whisper.

"You don't remember?" retorted Eric, with some alarm in his voice.

Ariel shook her head. "We got married and… there was a fire… you _died_ " she said, her voice cracking on the last word as she broke down in tears once again.

The sight of Ariel so distraught made a lump grow in Eric's throat, and he swallowed hard to fight it down. The Prince kissed the top of his young wife's head and hushed her and, with his left hand, which wasn't wrapped tightly in bandages, began running his fingers through her hair.

"I'm right here" he said, hating himself for not being able to help her further. He was meant to be her husband wasn't he? What kind of husband let's their wife cry?

Eric thought back to the past couple of hours.

Once they'd both changed into something dry, pyjamas seeing as it was so late, and been checked over and tended to by Doctor Sheffield and Carlotta, they had come in here to escape the commotion caused as a result of the fire; to find some peace and quiet. Ariel had been asleep the whole time, but Eric had sat awake, simply holding her, relishing in the fact that she was still here with him. And he had cried…

* * *

 _"_ _Villads no!"_

 _Too late._

 _The older council member knocked forcefully into one of the gas lamps that lit the room, causing it to fall and shatter against the hard wooden floor, and causing both men to jump back. The oil soaked the edge of the rug, giving the flame the assistance it needed to catch the trim. Faster than Eric had thought possible, the flames engulfed the rug and began eating away at the wooden floor. The Prince found himself caught in a sort of daze, hardly able to comprehend what was happening, springing into action only once he realised he'd soon be trapped._

 _Villads had left the room immediately once he'd shattered the gas lamp, albeit accidentally, so heavens knows where he was now._

 _Eric skirted the edge of the room, the heat making him sweat, and causing his clothes to stick to him uncomfortably. He had to press himself against the wall to get to the door, grasping the brass knob only to just as quickly pull back with a pained gasp when the hot metal burnt his hand. He clenched it into a fist, gritting his teeth for a moment before reaching out again, able to bear the pain long enough to get the door open, but only just. The flames jumped up onto the sleeve of his jacket, eating at the flammable material quickly. Eric cried out in pain, fumbling with the buttons and wriggling out of the attire, throwing it to the floor as he escaped the office room._

 _Only once the garment was off, and he was well away from the burning room, did he allow himself to inspect the damage. His palm was red, raw in some places, his fingers twitching, causing hot pain to shoot up his arm every few seconds; and his forearm didn't look much better, bleeding where the burns had worst affected. His sucked air through his teeth, only to expel it again in a series of harsh coughs which agonised his chest._

 _Panicked shouts drew him back to reality, and he realised that the fire must have spread to the main deck. He needed to help, this was his fault, he hadn't handled the situation with Villads correctly, and if anybody got hurt then he'd never forgive himself. And if Ariel got hurt, well, he wasn't sure he could live with himself…_

* * *

 _"_ _Fire!"_

 _Ariel, Carlotta and Grimsby turned quickly at the sound of panicked screams, to see people rushing in all directions. Orange flames burst onto the deck, eating away at the wooden vessel, and creating a large hole in the centre of the boat. The flammable decorations gave the fire something to climb, and soon the flames rose high into the night sky._

 _The wedding guests were being ushered into rowboats by the sailors on board, as Grimsby rushed towards the chaos in an attempt to keep everybody calm._

 _"_ _Your majesty, you need to get into a boat, now!" instructed one sailor, Frederik Nielsen, rushing towards the bow of the boat where Ariel and Carlotta stood stunned, "it's not safe."_

 _"_ _Where's Eric?" cried Ariel, ignoring what the sailor had said. Her panic rose when he remained silent. Immediately she began screaming Eric's name, glancing around frantically for any sign of her husband, until a familiar figure caught her eye. Villads, the man who Eric had left to talk to, was climbing into one of the lifeboats. His eyes met Ariel's, as seemed to linger there, though the young Princess couldn't make out his expression. Perhaps if he'd gotten out then Eric had too?_

 _A sudden explosion, caused by the fireworks on board was what broke their eye contact; an explosion that sent people tumbling overboard, and Ariel suddenly found herself immersed in frigid water. She broke the surface spluttering, glad that one of the first things Eric had taught her was how to swim, how to coordinate your arms and legs so that you stayed afloat. Unfortunately for Ariel, her wedding dress was far too heavy for her to be able to swim efficiently, the waterlogged fabric weighing her down; and just as soon as she broke the surface, she was once again submerged, though not before she could scream her husband's name._

 _The Princess flailed her arms and legs in a blind panic, still so unused to not being able to breathe underwater, surprised that every time she tried to inhale she only ended up choking. She tried calling out, sending bubbles rushing to the surface, which was getting further and further away by the second. The former mermaid struggled fruitlessly, her lungs burning as they tried to inhale breath after breath of seawater. Her vision began to fade, and all at once, she just stopped trying, a strangely peaceful sensation taking over her. It was ironic, cruel, that this was how she was going to die; by drowning. A year ago it wouldn't have been possible, yet here she was, her life in the hands of the very ocean she had once called home._

* * *

 _Eric stumbled up onto the deck, struggling to stay upright as numerous explosions tore holes in the once beautiful vessel. He glanced around, noting with relief that everybody seemed to have gotten off already._

 _But that relief was short lived._

 _Despite the screams and shouts of the citizens, and the crackling of the fire as it ate away at the wooden boat, there was one sound, one voice, that caught his attention immediately._

 _"_ _Eric!"_

 _The young prince startled, his heart stopping for a moment and then proceeding to race at a million miles an hour, as Ariel's desperate and panicked voice found its way to him. He ran to the edge of the ship scanning the lifeboats and surrounding waters for any sign of his love._

 _His name was called again, this time though its source was different, but equally as recognisable. Eric's eyes connected with Carlotta's immediately, the maids arm stretched out into front of her, pointing to the water. Eric's eyes followed her extended finger, his eyes frantically searching for any sign as to where Ariel might be._

 _It only took a moment._

 _Even in the almost black water, Eric could make out the pure white of a wedding dress, its skirts floating almost hauntingly under the surface of the ocean, though the figure it covered looked entirely motionless._

 _Without wasting another second, Eric lifted himself onto the side on the ship, before diving into the hostile unknown. He entered the water several metres away from where Ariel was, but was by her side in mere moments. The sight caused Eric to cry out, a burst of air leaving him and making its way to the surface. Ariel's face was pale, her eyes closed and her arms spread wide. Her petit body was unmoving, drifting further and further from the surface with each passing second._

 _Springing into action, Eric grabbed Ariel's hand, letting her know she was no longer alone before moving his arm down to lock around her waist. Kicking his legs as hard as he could, the nineteen year old began pulling his young wife upwards. However, each kick only caught in the skirts of Ariel's dress, which, combined with the heaviness of the garment meant that the royal couple barely moved at all._

 _Lungs burning, Eric released the former mermaid, only to once again grab her wrist, angling himself away from her. With his legs further away from the dress, the Prince was able to reach the surface much more quickly, inhaling breath after breath as he pulled Ariel up beside him._

 _"_ _Ariel!" he cried between breaths, managing to get her head out the water, and allowing her limp form to lull against him. But with both arms supporting Ariel, and is legs once again tangled in the mass of skirts and petticoats, Eric was finding it increasingly difficult to remain above the water._

 _The next thing he knew, Ariel began to slip from his grasp, though this time her body was being pulled upwards, out of the water. The Prince turned around, tired limbs barely able to keep him afloat by this point, searching for the source of help, for the people that had taken Ariel from him. A hand gripped his shoulder, another taking hold of his arm causing pain to shoot through the limb. He cried out, tears coming to his eyes as he was hauled out of the water and into a small wooden boat._

 _Eric sat against the side of the boat sputtering, clutching his injured arm to his chest as a non-verbal indication for whoever had helped him to refrain from touching it again._

 _"_ _Eric! Eric… can you hear me?" cried Carlotta, cupping her boy's face in her hands. His eyes opened a moment later, red and watering due to both the smoke and salt water that he had been exposed to. Carlotta felt her own eyes tear up at the sight, and gently pulled the Prince into a hug, patting his back as he continued to cough violently. She held him close, uttering constant reassurance, watching from the corner of her eye as Frederik Nielsen continued trying to force the water from the seemingly lifeless Princess. "Oh Lord, please let her be alright" she thought, ensuring to keep hold of Eric so that he was facing away from the scene._

 _A moment later, the sound of choking filled the air as sea water was expelled from Ariel's lungs. Nielsen helped her onto her side to make the ordeal somewhat easier, and Eric pulled back from the woman he considered no less than his mother, his attentions now directed towards one person only. Carlotta thought that in this instant, he looked six years old again, his expression giving away his confusion and sense of helplessness, his brow furrowed as though he might burst into tears at any moment. The sight caused Carlotta's heart to ache for the young Prince. This wasn't fair, this was meant to be their day, perfect in every way, the start of a better life for them both, heavens knew they deserved it. The maid would have started crying herself has Grimsby not put a comforting hand on her shoulder, signalling that she should try and stay strong, for Eric's sake at least._

 _Ariel felt sick to her stomach, her lungs and throat burning as she coughed over and over again, gasping in what little air she could whenever water wasn't being pushed from her body. The former mermaid was in agony, every expulsion of water drawing from her a soft sob or pained cry. All she wanted was for this to end._

 _And, at long last, it did. Ariel was able to draw in a shuddering breath, filling her oxygen starved lungs with air. She suddenly felt very cold, and very alone, not knowing where she was or who was around her, if there was anyone there at all. With a quiet whimper she curled up into a ball, hugging her knees to her chest and shivering in place as the first of what was to be many tears slipped silently down her pale cheek._

 _Eric had watched silently until now, trusting his friend to help the woman he loved far better than he currently could, but hearing how scared she was, seeing her fear as she tried to make herself as small as possible, he couldn't sit back any longer. He shuffled out of Carlotta's grip, reaching out with his left hand and resting it upon Ariel's shoulder. She jumped, curling up tighter before opening her eyes and staring up at him. It seemed to take her a while to realise who it was, but as soon as she had the Princess gasped softly struggling to push herself up on shaky arms. Eric reached out to assist her, holding her close as she scrambled to press herself against him, her slender fingers wrapping around the wet fabric of his shirt._

 _"_ _You're okay…" she said, her voice barely above a whisper._

 _"_ _I'm fine" replied Eric, his voice equally as hoarse as Ariel's. He paused, again stunned by Ariel's kindness, her concern for him despite all that had just happened to her. Tears traced paths down his cheeks as he tried to block out the image of Ariel's lifeless body, an image that had stuck with him so vividly since he had been reunited with her under the water, and image that would surely stay with him for a long time even once all of this was over. "I'm so sorry Ariel" he said tearfully, holding her a little tighter when she shivered against him. His heart almost stopped when her body fell limp, his eyes filling with terror as he looked towards Carlotta pleadingly._

 _"_ _It's alright darling, the poor dear's just tired" she said, bringing her hand to Eric's cheek, and using her thumb to gingerly brush away the tears that lingered there. Oh, how she hated to see him so upset._

* * *

 _Nielsen managed to row the boat to shore in just under an hour and Eric would be sure to thank him properly at some point, with a few of the other sailors helping to pull in onto the sands. Doing his best to ignore the pain of the burns on his arm, Eric picked up Ariel's sleeping form as gently as he could and allowed Carlotta and Grimsby to help him out of the boat, steadying him as he momentarily lost his balance on the soft sands. The two exchanged worried glances, before Grimsby's attentions were caught by the calls of some of the nobles and dignitaries who had been aboard the wedding barge._

 _"_ _Go," encouraged Carlotta, knowing that there was nobody better that Grimsby to take control of the situation at this current moment, "you sort things out here, I'll make sure they're both alright."_

 _With a single nod, Grimsby turned and made his way towards the ever growing crowd of people, all searching for answers to the same questions. Although, Carlotta could clearly see hesitation in his departure, as though he wanted to make sure for himself that both Ariel and Eric were thoroughly checked over, but trusting Carlotta enough to let her take charge of that particular situation._

 _Taking great care to avoid inflicting further pain on her boy, Carlotta took a gentle hold of Eric's arm, leading him towards the palace so that he and his young wife could finally rest. Wife, his… wife. Carlotta shook her head slightly, smiling wistfully; how had her boy had grown up so fast? But, a sudden stumble reminded her that although he may have grown up now, in this moment he still needed her as much as ever; and so, with frequent whispers of encouragement, she steered him across the sand towards his home._

 _Once inside, she lead the two newlyweds to her bedroom, knowing that climbing the stairs would be a bad idea considering how Eric was beginning to stagger, his tired muscles barely able to kept him upright, let alone Ariel as well, though she supposed her petite size made it slightly easier._

 _Eric lay Ariel upon Carlotta's bed with such care that the sight nearly brought tears to her eyes; the love that boy held for his young love was simple beautiful, and there wasn't a single doubt that his love only mirrored that which the Princess felt for him. Carlotta's thoughts were interrupted though, when Eric cried out softly, fresh tears springing to his eyes as his injured arm became trapped between Ariel's unconscious form and the mattress for a few seconds until he was able to pull it out. It was clearly a painful effort, but Carlotta knew that no matter how much he was hurting, Eric would never let her help him without first helping Ariel._

 _"_ _Sit down darling, I'll have a look in a minute" she said softly, pulling a wicker chair to the side of the bed and gently pushing him down into it._

 _"_ _I'm fine" he insisted, his gaze fixed upon Ariel's sleeping form, each rise and fall of her chest making the Prince lightheaded with relief, for it reminded him that she was in fact just sleeping. He sat numbly as Carlotta tended to Ariel, looking but not seeing, hearing but not listening, trapped inside his own racing mind wishing that he could start the day over again._

 _A familiar hand on his shoulder startled him, and he looked up to see Carlotta sat in front of him on a chair identical to the one upon which he was sat. He glanced behind her to see Doctor Sheffield checking Ariel's temperature. He was an old English doctor, one who had served residents of the palace ever since Eric's parents began their short reign so many years ago; a man that Eric owed his life to. Over the years Carlotta had learnt a few basic skills from him so that she might help Eric if ever he were hurt, and tending to burns had been one of the first._

 _Carlotta's heart broke every time Eric so much as winced as she carefully wrapped his hand and forearm in a white bandage, knowing that it was her causing him pain despite it being completely unintentional. She apologised every time of course and Eric insisted every time that it was alright, that it wasn't her fault. She finished quickly not able to bear the pained noises that she was eliciting from her boy every few seconds, and reached forward to cup his face in her hands, ensuring that their eyes met._

 _"_ _Does anything else hurt darling?" she asked, taking in the redness of his eyes and the occasional hoarse cough that caused him to suck air through his teeth. Despite this though, the nineteen year old just shook his head, thanking Carlotta for her help as his eyes were once again drawn to his young wife, a soft groan making its way past her lips, her eyes flickering open to find herself swaddled in warm blankets, her wedding dress nowhere to be seen. She glanced under the sheets, finding herself now wearing her nightgown, lying in a room that she didn't recognise. Her mind was foggy, her vision blurred as she felt the weight of sleep pulling at her once more._

 _A soft knock at the door drew the attention of Carlotta, and she called out for whoever was on the other side to enter. Gertrude entered, bobbing a quick curtsey to Eric and then turning to face Carlotta again, informing her that a fire had been lit in the living room so that the Prince and Princess might sit together and warm up. Eric visibly flinched at the mention of fire, something that had threatened to ruin his life far too often, and very nearly succeeded every time, though the first had been the only time he'd actually lost anything... anyone._ _Carlotta thanked the maid before dismissing her, sure that some peace and quiet would do both Ariel and Eric the world of good._

 _Eric stood with an element of uncertainty, wobbling in place for a moment before stepping over to Ariel, taking her hand in his and squeezing it reassuringly._

 _"_ _I've got you," he said quietly, "you're safe now."_


End file.
